Unani and "Hot" vs "Cold"

     Unani is the balance of "hot and "cold" foods and is essential to ancient Persian and modern iranian cuisine. In Persian cuisine, all food are classified as either “hot” (sardi) or “cold” (garmi). This is not “spicy or not spicy” or the temperature of the food or its ingredients, but rather “whether the food would create a sort of energy in your body or whether it would have a cooling effect” (Negahban). For instance, walnuts are “hot,” but pomegranates are “cold.” However, the classifications of hot or cold foods vary from region to region. There is no historical or religious document that records the classifications of foods. Rather, this information is “passed by word of mouth from Iranian mothers to their children” (Hartz). “Traditional Persian recipes and menus have evolved over generations based on the way ingredients complement one another” and many Iranians still plan meals based on the “hot” and “cold” balance. This is why kababs and stews, generally “hot” dishes due to the meat and onions, are paired with chelo rice which is considered a “cold” food. Many Iranians still practice this to this day.

    Persian cuisine was heavily influenced by Zoroastrianism. The prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra or Zarthosht in his own language) founded this religion in Northern Iran, but the year is disputed to be as early as 600 BCE and as late as 1500 BCE. Zoroaster preached that “Ahura Mazda,” meaning “Wise Lord or Supreme Creator” is goodness and represents all good things. Ahura Mazda is locked in a constant battle with the force of evil named “Angra Mainyu” or the “Destructive Spirit” ("ZOROASTRIANISM"). However this “relentless conflict” for supremacy over eath manifested itself in the external world through day and night and summer and winter, but was also “reflected in the good and evil within each human.” Hence, “‘you are what you eat’ is a very ancient belief in Iran.” The belief is that foods can restore balance within a person. 
    Unani and the belief in "hot" vs. "cold" foods is rooted in ancient medicine. Thus, those with a hot or aggressive nature should eat cold foods whereas those who are more laid-back or lazy have a cold nature and should eat hot foods (Hartz). What people ate and drank were often dictated by their desire to “attain radiant good health and a sunny disposition over black despair and evil disease” (Shaida) with the ultimate goal of balance, both physically and mentally (Menzie). This is not so different from the “Chinese designations of ‘yin’ or ‘yang’” or the “Indian Ayurvedic guidelines that balance the five elements of earth, ether, air, fire, and water” (Shafia). 

     According to Louisa Shafia, Persian cuisine has a history of “healthy cooking.” Iranians generally love” sour and tart flavors and many dishes contain a combination of “sweet and sour everywhere” and “modern studies suggest that sour juices and vinegar are antimicrobial, hydrating, and help prevent the body from storing excess fat” and in Iranian cuisine.” For example, Persian food protocol dictates that a “kebab is always sprinkled with sumac and eaten with rice, raw onion, and the yogurt drink doogh.” The “meat and onions are considered ‘hot’, while sumac, yogurt and rice are classified as ‘cold.’” However, in addition to unani and the classification and balance of foods, “onions are antibacterial, and sumac and yogurt aid in digestion.” And so, “all the ingredients conspire to help your body digest those big hunks of rich protein.”